We Demand Vincent Laforet's "Nocturne" Emission

Apologies for the wordplay - it was one of those silly health class phrases - I guess I haven't evolved much from my high school days.

Just wanted to direct your attention to the newest Canon still camera. Just after midnight last week Vincent Laforet posted his newest project that showcased the video capabilities of Canon's new 1D Mark4.

Earlier in the day the creator of the smash hit video "Reverie"   had posted a note to be sure to tune in just after midnight EST for a mind-numbing blog entry. What could it be this time? Could Canon have built a nuclear fusion reactor? Well it turned out to be the EOS 1D MKIV and it's amazing low light capabilities as showcased in Laforet's newest film entitled "Nocturne." The new camera has a new sensor so sensitive to light that it can probe the unlit areas of our night-time imaginations (where no video camera has probed before.) The 1D MKIV does ISO 12,800. Remember Acufine? That's like pushing tri-x 5 stops!

Here's an excerpt from Mr Laforet's blog that night.

Just a little over two weeks ago my jaw dropped even harder when I took a prototype of the Canon 1D MKIV outdoors to test it at night.  I was on the road, it was late and I had just rushed back to my hotel to get to the unit.  I was expecting a 1D body, with 24p, a 1.3 crop factor sensor, 10 fps for stills, a new AF system - 60 fps at 720p - and of course 1080p video.

Nothing prepared me for what happened next.

I set the ASA to high - and I pointed it towards an area lit by a single flood light.  The image was overexposed by 4-5 stops.  I then started to play with the settings, pointing my light into an area in complete shadow (my eye saw nothing but black) but on the rear of the LCD I saw sharp, green leaves as crystal clear as if it were shot in daylight.

I think it’s safe to say that every single filmmaker and photographer has always dreamed of cameras that can see what our naked eyes can see.  This time these cameras can actually see more.   Sure - they may not have the dynamic ranges of our eyes just yet - but they see more than my naked eyes can see in low light.

Period.

And that’s qualifies as a paradigm shift in my book.

It was late and I had had a big day and decided to watch it later - and then when I came back to watch I found this: Canon has requested that we take down “Nocturne.”. WTF? C'mon Canon, we demand our nocturnal emission back.